The start of the 2026-27 school year is just around the corner in Alexandria.
The first day back for most Alexandria City Public Schools students is Monday, Aug. 24. That’s not the case for students and staff at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary, which started on July 27. Still, below are some important dates to be aware of, as the school system gets back into the swing of things.
Teaching kids is challenging, and on Thursday (May 8) Alexandria City Public Schools named two of its best the principal and teacher of the year.
School Board Chair Michelle Rief and Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt presented the awards to Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School Principal Suzanne M. Hess and James K. Polk Elementary School third-grade teacher Sharon Phox.
There’s nothing like a new pair of shoes. This afternoon, all James K. Polk Elementary School students in Alexandria’s West End received free sneakers.
That’s 770 pairs of shoes, all donated to the students by Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Operation Warm and Georgia-based builder Beazer Homes. The event was just one in a handful today across the country that the companies are offering to school systems.
A rapturous applause followed after a James K. Polk Elementary School teacher was officially named the Virginia Regional Teacher of the Year.
In front of an assembly of third graders, teacher Sharon Phox was presented the honor by Lisa Coons, Virginia’s superintendent for public instruction, as well as Alexandria City Public Schools leadership and her family.
Reports of a man with a gun chasing someone else at a shopping center along Duke Street led to two nearby schools being put into “secure the building” status, though it later turned out to be a false alarm.
According to the scanner, around 8 a.m. a man rushed into a store at 4349 Duke Street and said he was being chased by someone with a gun.
A water main break has shut down three Alexandria schools today.
Douglas MacArthur (4633 Taney Avenue), James K. Polk (5000 Polk Avenue) and Patrick Henry Elementary (4643 Taney Avenue) Schools have been closed, according to Alexandria City Public Schools.
